In western Norway on the Bergen Peninsula is the most fabulous city in the country – Bergen. Its small houses with colorful facades seem to transport trolls and other characters of Norwegian fairy tales who come to the world. One of the Icelandic sagas tells about the foundation of the city. Founded by King Olaf III in 1070, Bergen, thanks to its advantageous location, quickly became one of the most important cities in Norway. In the XII and XIII centuries, it was the residence of Norwegian kings and bishops.
For 82 years during this era, Bergen was the capital of the country. Having lost its capital status in the XIV century, the city did not suffer materially at all, on the contrary, during these years it became a trading center of the Hanseatic League. The number of residents grew due to clerks from European cities, warehouses were bursting with various goods.
Hanseatic merchants led the life of Bergen until the XVIII century. Despite the numerous fires that are traditional for old Norwegian cities, the center of Bergen is well preserved.
In it you can see the buildings of the XVII century, and the stone basements of some of them belong to the XV century. The main cathedral in Bergen is Lutheran. The first building was built in the XII century. Then it was the church of St. Olaf. The cathedral was repeatedly burned, rebuilt, restored. The modern building was built anew already in the XVI century. The cathedral preserves the memory of the tragic events of the Anglo-Dutch War of 1665 – a cannonball got stuck in its wall during the shelling, but the building itself survived. Now, in addition to services, organ music concerts are held in the cathedral.
When Bergen was a Hanseatic city, an embankment was built in it, which was included in the UNESCO cultural Heritage list in the XX century. Now there are souvenir shops in the colored houses. In some, you can observe the process of making traditional products. There are especially many tourists in the shop selling figurines of Norwegian fairy tale heroes – trolls. A walk along the embankment will take you to the ancient fortress of Bergenhus. Its part is the Rosencrantz Tower, named after the architect who built it.
This powerful structure is almost half a century old.
The explosion of 1944, unfortunately, severely damaged the buildings of the fortress and the tower. Climbing to the observation deck, you will see a beautiful panorama of the bay and the city. Next to the tower is the Royal Residence and the audience hall of Hokonshallen, dating back to the XIII century. Today, the ancient palace opens its doors for various festive and official ceremonies.It’s fun to take a ride on another Bergen attraction – the Fleibanen funicular, opened in 1918.
Two of his trailers bear the names of fairy-tale heroes: Little Red Riding Hood and Blomann. Through the glass ceilings and panoramic windows, you can enjoy amazing views of the mountains, the sea and the city. The place of pilgrimage for music lovers is Trollhaugen, the Edvard Grieg House Museum. During the 22 years of his life here, Grieg wrote many of his most famous works. Here you can see the furnishings of the house in which the Grieg family lived.
Concerts are organized in summer. Admirers of Grieg’s work bring flowers to the grave cut into the rock where the ashes of the composer and his wife rest.It is said that there are more attractions in Bergen than in Oslo. We will not reveal all the secrets of this city – come and compare for yourself.
Sightseeing tours in Bergen https://foxiepass.com/en/norway/bergen
